While designed as a range of inks for fountain pens, Inkstand colour offers a distinctive vibrancy and brightness perfect for both writing and drawing. Dip pens are versatile tools that allow you to blend and switch colours with the ease of a brush.
Whether using the ink straight from the bottle or mixing your own shades, we’ll guide you through drawing with a dip pen and a few basic items you can find at home.
Tools needed:
・Inkstand colour - Blooming pink, Twinkle yellow, Puddle
・Metal nib - Stainless steel
・Pen nib
・Watercolour paper
・Cotton buds
・Palette
・Water in a glass
・Tissue
Today, we’ll be drawing a simple yacht. Its basic shapes make it a great choice even for beginners.
Let’s start with the outline.
Raise the mast with a vertical line, hoist the sails using two triangles of different sizes, and finish with a hull to match the length of the sails. We now have a nice, simple yacht.
Here, we used the Pen nib, designed for fine line work, paired with Puddle, a soft blue ink.
Next, we’ll mix some colours to fill in the outlines.
The Inkstand colour range can be mixed like paint. Having red, blue and yellow inks at hand allows us to produce a wide range of hues.
Add the inks Blooming pink, Twinkle yellow and Puddle to the palette, then mix and create a few more of your own.
Once you have five to six colours including the original inks, we can start colouring in from our imagination.
First, we’ll fill in the sails and hull using a single colour. Angle the Metal nib flat like a brush to cover larger areas.
Next, we’ll overlay some accent colours, blending them to add a sense of softness and depth.
Continue by dabbing on more colour with a cotton bud, allowing the shades to blend and feather in a way unique to inks.
Now, it’s time to create the waves, again dabbing with a cotton bud, changing the pressure and amount of ink for added variation.
Layering multiple colours creates the effect of shimmering water.
Finally, finish the artwork with a date and caption, like a postcard or diary illustration. Use the Pen nib for a fine touch that accents your work.
Your piece is now complete, framed by generous white space for a striking composition.
Experiment with different subjects and colour combinations for endless creative possibilities. With some ink and a dip pen, you can enjoy drawing whenever you have an idea in mind or feel inspired to play.
Take a look at our postcard tutorial for more ways to incorporate drawing into your daily life. We hope you’ll discover the joy of sharing your creativity with others.
A note on choosing paper
The colour and appearance of ink can vary depending on the paper used.
Explore ink illustrations as a delightful way to capture your memories in your notebook pages.
